Target-making machine.



Patented Apr. 15; 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 7 Emma J. Merrill admi nisi'rafriX 172a DCMORRILL, DECD. E- J. MORRILLQ ADMKNISTRATRIX.

TARGET MAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 05c. i4. 1915.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

4 SHEETSSHEET Emma .J. Merrill adminisfrah'ix p? Hwe esfare o-F Dana Merrill we? WNW-no: A

ms Aromas PKYERS 20., "mm-Linux. w/Numamm pv c.

D.- MORRILL, DEC'D.

E. J. MORRILL. ADMINISTRATRIX.

,TARGET MAKING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC .l4.-l 9I5.

1,300,996, Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

Emmad. Merrill adminis'f'ral'rix 9f auoww.

UNITED STATES PATENT T mon DANA MORBILL, nnonnsnn, LATE or SOUTH OMAHA, NEBRASKA, BY EMMA J. MORRILL,

ADMINISTRATRIX, 0 F OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR TO MORRILL TARGET COM- PANY, 0F OMAHA, NEBRASKA, A CORPORATION OF NEBRASKA.

TARGET-MAKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

Application filed December 14, 1915. Serial No. 66,872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that DANA MORRILL, deceased, late a citizen of the United States, residing at South Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, did invent certain new and useful Improvements in Target- Making Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The said invention relates to the general class of molding mechanism for materials that are fluid when heated, and whichfirst become plastic, and finally hard and brittle upon cooling to ordinary atmospheric temperatures. It is the particular object of the invention to provide a continuously operating machine for producing economically and in large quantities the saucer-shaped targets or pigeons used in trapshooting. For this purpose there is provided a plurality of molding devices in combination with means for moving the same continuously in predetermined paths, means for closing the moldparts, means for cooling the same, means for stripping or shedding the molded material from one of the parts, means for separating excess material from the body of the target formed in the mold, means for opening the mold, and means for ejecting the target from the mold so as to deliver the target at a position from which it may be conveniently removed by an attendant for inspection, counting and nesting in piles or stacks, preparatory to the final wrapping or packaging thereof. Minor objects of the invention relate to the specific structure of the various mechanical elements, and the cooperative relation thereof, and will be more fully set forth hereinafter,

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine embodying the invention, certain portions being broken away to show underlying parts, Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same on the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section of one of the mold-units, the section being on the plane 33 indicated in Fig. 4, Fig. 4 is a detail horizontal section on the plane of the line 44 in Fig. 3, F ig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the'positions of the parts at the completion of the mold-closing operation, Fig. 6 a similar view showing the positions of the parts during the shedding operation, Fig. 7 is a similar View the upper cross-beam 14.

showing the positions of the parts at the e ecting position, Fig. 8 is a detail side view showing various parts adjacent to, the pressure-wheel and mold-closing track, Fig.9 is a detail side view of parts at the shedding position, Fig. 10, is a detail side view of one of the heads for the stems of the male moldmembers, and Fig. 11 is large-scale detail vertical section on the plane of the line l111 of Fig. 4, showing the mold filled and in closed position.

In the illustrated construction there .is provided a main frame comprising lower cross-beams 12 and 13 resting on a suitable foundation and extending at right angles to each other, upper cross-beams 14 and 15 dis. posed respectively above the beams 12 and 13, and vertical posts 16 and 17 extending between the outer ends of the upper and lower cross-beams to support the former. At the center of the beam 12 a block 18 is secured thereon and in said block is secured a vertical stub-shaft 19 on which is fitted revolubly the hub-portion 20' of a horizontal circular table comprising said hub-portion, a flat ring or rim-portion 21 and radial arms 22 connecting the hub and ring. The pezontal shaft 27 mounted in bearings on the post 16 carries a pinion 28 which meshes with the teeth 26, so, that by means of the connection thus formed continuous rotary movement may be imparted to the table. On the outer end of the shaft 27 is a sprocket wheel 29, from which a chain 30 extends up wardly and around a smaller sprocket-wheel 81 carried on a shaft 32 which is journaled 1n bearings on, and extends parallel wlth,

end of the shaft 32 is carried a pulley 33 which is .connected by a belt 34 with a suitable source of power.

On the ring or annular table-porti0n 21 At the opposite there are mounted a plurality of mold-units,

or sets of molding devices, there being provided a sufiicient number of said units to fill molding operations may be readily per- 5 formed during the periodof one revolution thereof. Each of the mold-units has a standard 35 provided with a foot-portion which is secured on the upper surface of the ring 21 adjoining the inner edge thereof, and carrying at its upper end an outwardly-overhanging cylindrical head 36 having a vertical cylindrical bore or opening through the same. At the base of the standard, integral therewith and alined vertically with the bore of the head 36, is a ring 37 which is spaced slightly from the surface of the table and within which the lower or female moldmember 38 is disposed and held in vertical alinement with the head of the standard. In the upper side of said member 38-is a dished or bowl-like mold-cavity, and the 7 lower side of the member is hollowed out to form an annular water-space 39 surrounding the mold-cavity. At the lower side, the inclosure of the water-space 39 is completed by the table, onto which the mold-member is secured by screws 40 passing through lugs on the outer parts thereof as shown in Fig.

4, a suitable gasket 41 being provided between the surfaces to prevent leakage from the water-space. Through the center of the mold-member 38 there is a vertical cylindrical opening which is continued through the adjoining portion of the table, and in said vertical opening is slidably disposed the ejector-stem 42 of which the lower end extends below the table, while at the upper end thereof is a head forming a thin laterally projecting lip which rests in the lowermost part of the mold-cavity. The upper or male mold-member is formed by a hollow body 43 secured on the lower end of a vertical rod or stem 44 which is slidably held within the bore of the head 36. Near the lower end of 45 the stem 44 a ide-block 45 is secured thereto and extends laterally therefrom toward the standard, a portion of the block fitting slidably around a vertical rib 46 on the outer side of the standard, as shown in Figs. 3

and 4. The contour of the lower portion of the male mold-member is such that, when the same is lowered into the mold-cavity in the member 38, a thin uniform space is left between the members, said space having the characteristic shape of the desired target to be produced from the plastic material. The

" outside diameter of the body 43 is slightly greater than the inside diameter of the uppermost part of the mold-cavity, and at the marginal portion of the downwardly-projecting part of said body 43 there is a concave fillet 47 which, when the mold-parts are in closed position, approaches very closely to the corner 48 of the member 38, so that between said fillet and corner there is left a very thin annular space, as best shown in Fig. 11. Surrounding the main upper por- 4 tion of the male mold-member 43 and fitting slidably thereon is the stripper or shedderring 49 of which the lower and outer corner is rounded off, as shown. Around the shedder-ring and disposed in slightly-spaced relation thereto is a lever 50 which ispivotally connected by pins 51 with opposite sides of the ring, and of which the inner ends are pivotally connected with the lower portion of the guide-block 45 by means of fulcrumpins 52. The openings in the lever for said fulcrum-pins 52 may be slightly elongated horizontally so that vertical movements of the shedder-ring may occur without causing z binding of. the parts. At the outer side of the lever 50 is a lug 53 carrying a pin on 'WlllOll is revolubly mounted a roller 54. To the upper side of said lug 53 is secured a curved finger 55' which extends up and inwardly over the upper edge of the sheddecrrlng, and normally rests on the upper side of the body 43, thus limiting downward movement of the lever and shedder-ring.

On the upper end of the stem 44 is secured a head 56 through which a pin 57 passes horlzontally in a direction radial to the rotar'y table, and on the inner end of said pin- 57-there is revolubly mounted a roller 58. The upper end of the head 56 is'forked and between the sides thereof is disposed the shank 59 of a shoe 60 whereof the upper surface is curved in a direction tangential to the rotary table. The pin 57 passes through the lower portion of the shank 59 and pivot ally connects the same with the head. Through the upper part of the shank a small pin 99 passes through the shank and the sides of the head, as shown in Fig. 3, said pm normally holding the shank and shoe in fixed relation to the head. Said pin 99 is made of wood or other comparatively weakmaterial, and is soproportioned that it 7 may be broken under a predetermined abnormal stress, for, the purpose hereinafter set forth.

The various movable portions of the described mold-units, or sets of molding devlces, are actuated and-the control thereof effected by means of relatively fixed members with which, during the movement of the rotating table, the shoes 60, rollers 58, rollers 54, and ejector-stems 42 are engaged.

On the upper cross-beam 15, at points intermediate between the ends thereof and the beam 14, are secured bars 61 which extend parallel with the beam 14, as shown in Fig.

1. On said bars 61 and the beams 14 and 15. are secured depending hangers 62 on which is supported a circular track 63, which is thus held above and concentric with the rotating table. The said track is formed by a T-shaped bar of which the stem-portion extends horizontally and the rection of rotation of the table (shown by arrows in Fig. 1) to about the point B, the track is inclined slightly upward from a horizontal plane parallel with the table,

From the point B the track extends around horizontally to .a point C from which it is inclined sharply downward, terminating at the lower end of the downwardly inclined portion. Above said descending portion of the track and extending parallel therewith is a short supplementary track 64 which is a supported by brackets 65 secured to the inner side of the main track. Said supplementary track is adapted to engage the upper edges of the rollers 58, pushing the same downward should the weight of the stems 44.

and the parts carried thereby be insuflicient to cause the stems to move downward while the rollers traverse the descending portion of the main track.

Beneath the cross-beam 14 adjacent to the post 16 is a horizontal shaft66 of which one end is supported on said post 16, while the other end is supported by a hanger 67 on the cross-beam. On said shaft is revolubly mounted a wheel'68 of which the lower portion is adapted to engage the shoes 60 and press the same downwardly as they pass beneath it during rotation of the table. Near one end of the hub of the wheel 68 an annular groove is formed in said hub, and in said groove is fitted loosely a collar 69 which is connected by a bar 70 with a lever 71 fulcrumed at one end on one of the bars 61' and having the other end supported by a stirrup 72 secured to the other of the bars 61. By means of said lever the wheel 68 may be shifted longitudinally of the shaft 66 and thus moved out of the path of the shoes 60* so as not to engage the same when they pass beneath it.

At a point slightly above the level of the table, a U-shaped lever 73 is fulcrumed on the post 16, extending around the inner side of the post as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. Said lever is normally held in a raised position against a stop-pin 74 by means of a spring 75 of which one end is connectedwith the lever and the other end connected with the post above the lever. On the inner portion of said lever is secured a short track-bar 76 adapted to engage the rollers 54 to raise the levers 50 and the shedder-rings 49, while the same are passingsaid bar. I

At a position adjacent to. the. periphery of the table and nearly colncident with the end A of the track 63, as shown in Fig. 1,

there is a post 77 suitably supported on the foundation, and on said post there is fulcrumed a U-shaped lever 7 8 similar to the lever 73 on the post 16. .Said lever 78 is pulled down yieldably by a spring 80 toward a stop-pin 79, as shown in Fig. 6. On the inner-part of the lever 78 a short bar 81 is pivotallyconnected therewith, and to said ar 81 there is secured a track-bar 82 which is curved in a horizontal plane concentrically with the rotating table. One end of said track-bar is also curved slightly upward, as shown in Fig. 9, 'and the same is adapted to engage the rollers. 54 as the same traverse this portion of their pathway, pressing said rollers, the levers 50 and shedder-rings downwardly. The length of the track-bar 82 is such that it will engage simultaneously two or more of the rollers 54, and by rocking about its pivotal axis on the bar 81 the pressure of the track-bar is distributed uniformly upon the several rollers with which it is engaged at any moment.

At a position coincident radially of thethrough the annular spaces 39 of the lower members and through the chambers within the male members 43, as follows: On the radial arms 22 of the rotating table are car-v ried standards 84 on which an annular pan 85 is supported at a level considerably above that of the mold-members 43 when the same are at their greatest elevation. From the upper portion of each mold-member 43 two pipes 86 and 87 extend inwardly around the sides of the respective standard 35 to points inside the inner edge of the peripheral ringportion 21 of the table. The pipes 86 are connected by pieces of flexibletubing or hose 88 with suitable nipples arranged around the lower side of the annular pan 85. The pipes 87 are turned downwardly, being interspaced between the table-arms 22 so that they may discharge into a stationary annular pan 89 disposed beneath theta-ble. From the lower mold-member 38 similar pipes 90 and. 91 extend in around the respective standards 35, the pipes 90 being connected by pieces of flexibletubing 92 with nipples on theupper pan 85, and the pipes 91 being directed downwardly so as to discharge into the lower pan 89. Water or otherliquid cooling-medium is constantly supplied tothe upper'pan by suitable means, such as a centrifugal pump 93 which may be driven by a belt 94 from the same source of power as that used, for actuating the belt 34. From thejupper pan the liquid flowsby gravity through the described connections to the spaces within the mold-members, and is thence discharged into. the lower pan 89. From the latter'pana return-pipe 95 may extend to a tank, cistern or other storage receptacle'96in which the liquid may be cooled, and from which it maybe drawn to thepump 93 through a pipe 97', being conducted: from the pump to the upper pan through a pie 98,-as represented in Fig.v 2.

It'should be noted that a Weight 100 is placed on'thepipes 86.- and 87 behind the standard 35, and that said weight tends to counterbalance the lateral pressure upon the stem 4:4 caused by the offset relation of the roller58 tothe vertical axis of the stem, thus serving to equalize the wear of the stem upon the bore of the head. 36v through: which it moves. I

In the operation of the machine the material employed is a tarry or bituminous composition which is mixed or compounded While heated to a temperature at which it is comparatively fluid, and the nature of which is such that as it cools it first becomes plastic or pasty and semi-solid, and finally upon cooling" toordinary atmospheric temperatures becomes hard, brittle and comparatively fragile when inthin bodies. The machine bei'ngin operation and the table rotatingin the direction indicated, the heated and fluid composition is supplied to the moldcavities within: the lower or female moldmembers as they are near and approaching the positions at which the rollers 58 pass the point C of the track 63 and engage the descending portion of said track; The quantity of material supplied to each mold, as

it passes the filling point or station, is sufficient to form the desired target together with a certain: excess which is pressed out of the mold during the closing operation. As the rollers 58 pass down the descendingportion of'the track 63, or are pushed down by the supplementarytrack 64, the male moldmembers enter the mold-cavities, but are not moved down to the fullest extent until the shoes pass beneath the pressure-wheel 68. In: passing beneath said wheel: said male I mold-members descend'to the lowest point,

so that the remaining part of the moldcavity is completely filled by the material and the excess material is pressed out and spreads over the top of the female moldmember, fomi-ing an irregular ring 0 which is connected with the target-body T by a very thin, or at times a discontinuous, annular fin P" of the material, which is left between the corners 48 of the female moldmembersand the concave fillets 47 of the male moldmembers, as shown clearly in Fig; 11. At thev same time that the excess material is pressed out of the mold by the wheel 68 the shedder-rings are raised by the track-bar 76, as shown in Fig. .5. As the movement of the table continuesand; the

mold units reach positions at which therollers 58 pass the end A and engage the as cending portion of the track 63, so that the male mold-members begin to be raised, the rollers 54 engage the track-bar 82' and theshedder-rings are thereby pressed yieldingly downward. During s'uch" movement the lower edges of the shedder-rings engage the ring 0 or the fin P of excess material and by pressure thereon dlsengage the same, as

mold-member. The time-interval between the filling of the molds and the shedding operation is so proportioned" to the cooling facilities that at the time of the latter opera tion the material is plastic but hard enough to'be capable of' retaining the form to which it has been molded, especially in View of the fact that the material isstill supported by the lower mold-member. After completion of the shedding operation and the opening of'the mold by the raising of'the male member, the cooling of the material continues while the units pass on-around to the ejecting position, the upper surface of the material being exposed to the air, while the lower surface is cooled by contact with the lower mold-member. On reaching the ejecting positionthe stems 42 are raised by the track-bar 83, the target-body T' and the adherent excess material being lifted thereby, as shown in Fig. 7, and while in this position the same is removed by an attendant. The'material at this time is sufficiently cooled so that the fin P is hard and brittle, while the thicker body of material in the excess ring 0 is still warm and comparatively cohesive, and the target-body T is hard enough to readily retain its form without, however, being extremely brittle as when completely cooled to atmospheric temperatures. The described condition of the various parts of the material makes it possible for the at tendant while removing the target to shatterthe fin and thus remove the excess ring O, at the same time inspecting the targets to the male mold-memberor to the shedder-- ring and thus be lifted up with the male mold-member, or that the attendant for removing the targets will fail by inattention to get one of them off the mold while passing theremoving position. In such an event, when the mold is again filled and closed there as an abnormal stress upon the-closingmg back to mechanism. Should this occur, damage to the more important parts of the mechanism is averted by breaking of the pin 99 which holds the shank 59 of the shoe 60 in vertical position, as the shoe passes under the pressure-wheel 68, the shank and shoe movthe position shown by dotted lines in Fig. I 10'. Should the unremoved target he observed in time, or if a number of the targets should pass the removing position without being taken out, the pres sure-wheel 68 may be shifted by the lever 71, as before described, so that the wheel will not engage the shoes 60, and thus all damage to the machine may be averted.

It may be noted that the upper or male mold-members remain in contact with the heated material but a short time, and during the remainder of the travel are cooled both by the circulation of the cooling-liquid within them and of the air around them. In consequence of such cooling of these members their average temperature is lower than that of the lower mold-members, so that when said male mold-members are brought into contact with the material they tend to chill and harden the upper surface thereof more quickly than the portions in contact with the lower mold-member, thus facilitating the separation or shedding operation and the retention of the material in the lower moldmembers until the ejecting operation is performed.

Now, having described the invention, what is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a target making machine, a rotating table, a plurality of mold-units mounted peripherally thereon, each of the same including relatively-movable mold-members having water-spaces therein, a pan carried on the table above the highest level of the mold-members, means for supplying water to said pan, means connecting said pan with the water-spaces of the several mold-members, a stationary pan disposed beneath the table, and means forming discharge passages from the water-spaces of the mold-members and adapted to empty into the latter pan.

2. In a target making machine, molding devices including a female mold member having a cavity therein and a male mold mem ber, means for moving the same into said cavity to partially fill the same, said male member being arranged in spaced relation with the upper edges of the walls of the cavity to form an outlet whereby the male member is adapted to mold material in the cavity and express excess material therefrom and leave the expressed material connected by a thin marginal port-ion with the molded material within the cavity.

3. In a target making machine, molding devices including a female mold member having a cavity therein and a male mold member, means for moving the same into said cavity to partially fill the same, said male member being arranged in spaced relation with the upper edges of the walls of the cavity to form an outlet whereby the male member is adapted to mold material in the cavity and express excess material therefrom and leave the expressed material connected by a thin marginal portion with the molded material within the cavity, means for moving the male member from the cavity and for simultaneously detaching the material from the said male member.

4:. In a target making machine, a rotating table, a plurality of mold-units mounted peripherally thereon, each of said units including a lower mold-member having a moldcavity therein, and an upper moldmember mounted for vertical movement relatively to the lower and adapted to enter the mold-cavity to displace material therefrom, a circular track, connecting means between said track and the upper mold-members for actuating the latter during rotation of the table, a pressure-Wheel arranged to normally engage parts of the mold-units to force the upper mold-member toward the lower,- and manually controlled means for moving said pressure-wheel to an inoperative position.

5. In a target making machine, a movable support, a plurality of mold-units mounted thereon, each of said units including a relatively stationary lower member, a movable upper member, and a vertically-guided stem carrying the latter mold-member, a pressurewheel mounted rotatably on a fixed axis and normally positioned adjacent to the path of the upper ends of the stems, heads on said stems, shoes carried on said heads and engageable with said pressure-wheel whereby in passing under the same the stems and movable mold-members are, forced toward the lower members, and breakable means connecting the heads and shoes whereby the latter may yield under abnormal pressure from the wheel.

6. In a machine for molding targets, a movable support, a standard mounted thereon, a stem movable vertically in guideways formed by said standard, a mold-member carried by said stem, a head on said stem, a roller carried at one side of said head, a track arranged to engage the roller and actuate the stem'during movement of the support, and a weight connected with the stem and positioned so as to equalize the lateral pressure of the stem upon the guideways when the stem is actuated by the roller.

7. In a target making machine, molding devices including a female mold member having a cavity therein and a male mold member, means for moving the same into said cavity to partially fill the same, said male member being arranged in spaced relation With the upper edges of the Walls of the cavity to form an outlet whereby the male member is adapted to mold material in the cavity and express excess material therefrom and leave the expressed material connected by a thin marginal portion With the molded material Within the cavity, means for moving the male member from the cavity and for simultaneously detaching the material from the said male member, and ejecting means arranged to eject the molded material from the cavity and. remove the expressed material from the female mold memher.

8. Ina target making machine, molding deviceslncluding' a female mold member having a cavity therein and a male mold member, means for moving the same into said cavity to partially fill the same, said male member being arranged in spaced relation with the upper edges of the Walls of the cavity to form an outlet whereby the male member is adapted to mold material in the cavity and express excess material therefrom and leave the expressed material.connected by a thin marginal portion With the molded material Within the cavity, means EMMA J. MORRILL, Administratrim of Dana M orm'll.

Copies 01' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

